To Trinity Last - REALLY sorry for the delay... blame my teachers!! They give me too much homework!! Way too much homework!! You can come down to my school and scream at them!! (really, you can bring a friend if you want..) Ok... so, here's the fic... enjoy... and remember that I love you!!
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"Harry Potter...." came a voice from the shadows.
"Who is it?!" he called out, searching everywhere for the disembodied voice. "Show yourself!"
"Now why would I do that?" came the voice again, the Irish accent clearly evident. "It would take the fear out of it all."
"Who are you?!" Harry asked, beginning to sweat.
A figure came out, the facial features distorted. Harry looked up into the slightly different face of Professor O'Donerty.
"Your worst nightmare." Angelus pressed his fangs to Harry's neck, and everything went black.
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Harry awoke with a gasp and sat up quickly. His eyes darted around the room, looking for any sign of movement. There was none. Harry's breathing slowed and quieted. It was only a nightmare. Harry fell back onto his bed. It had been two weeks since he had found out about the new professors, and he still hadn't told Ron or Hermione. He was keeping the secret, but it was killing him. And the nightmares were getting worse, and more vivid. Every night it was different, and every night, it was real. It seemed that some higher force wanted him to know a lot about the Slayer's past, and everyone else in her gang. His dreams were always of their lives, and nothing new.
He had talked to Professor Summers his first one, and she had nearly died while listening. He could still remember it clearly.
Harry looked around in interest. He was in a room, a very large room. It appeared to be some sort of mansion. His eyes scanned the room, and landed on a statue. It was clearly a demon, but what kind, Harry knew not. As he walked towards it, visions of battle entered the room. Ghosts of figures danced around, their deadly blades glinting in the light. Harry finally caught a glimpse of their faces, and gasped. Professor Summers and Professor O'Donerty.
As they moved around, Harry felt a strange sense of deja-vu. He watched them, each second becoming more familiar. Finally, when Angelus was about to kill Buffy, her hands caught the sword and the dance was back on. Harry recognised the move from class.
Harry continued to watch, but he soon realized there wasn't much more to see. The battle ended, and Harry saw the two embraced. He listened as Buffy told Angel that she loved him. And he watched on in horror, as Buffy drove the sword through his torso, and he was sucked into Hell.
Since that dream, Harry hadn't told anyone about his nighttime visions. After seeing Professor Summers' face, he decided not to bring up her past again. He wasn't sure what the consequences might be, or if there would even be any, but he was sure of one thing. No human being should have been able to feel that much pain.
Harry sighed and rolled over onto his stomach. He pulled out a small, bound book from under his pillow. On his last trip to Hogsmede, he had purchased the small diary, planning on recording his dreams, lest they become forgotten in the annals of his mind. In this book was Anya's calling as a vengeance demon, Xander's saving of the world. On that note, Willow's recent tragedy was in the book as well, and Harry was hard pressed not to flee every time he saw the wandless witch in the halls. There was also the night Angel got his soul, and the night he lost it. There was Miss Calendar's death, and Dawn's 'birth'. And then there were things that Harry didn't understand. A young girl, a brunette, fighting alongside Buffy. She fought like another Slayer, but he knew that another could be called only after the first died. He hadn't yet asked anyone about her yet, and was trying to lift the veil over her identity on his own. So far, it had been to no avail. His latest dream only showed him the vampire Angelus, Scourge of Europe. Nothing new there.
Harry flipped to the last page, and wrote down the details of his dream. He quickly scanned over the accounts of a few previous ones, before rolling over and going back to sleep.
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Buffy stopped her workout long enough to reflect on her recent dream. Disturbing just wasn't strong enough.
Since she had told Harry about her identity, her sleep had been filled with visions of his past, and they weren't pleasant. She had kept the first to herself, until Harry had revealed that he, too, had had a dream. About Buffy's past. She had since then revealed to Angel and Giles every aspect of the dreams. She assumed Harry had more as well, but who could blame him for not telling.
Buffy turned her thoughts away from the dreams as her slayer-sense started to pick up some vamp action. She moved towards the forest, suddenly very grateful for the night life of Hogwarts, or lack there-of.
^*^
"But Willow! It's just one day. Come on! Spike has the day off, and we were gonna go to Hogsmede! Please!! Please, please, please?" Dawn begged her teacher. Since she had come to Hogwarts, Dawn was being home schooled. It was great having Willow for a teacher, but it wasn't working to her advantage right now.
"Dawnie, you have to take your studies seriously! If I skipped school every time I wanted to just hang out with Oz, I would have failed!"
"Wil-low!" Dawn whined. "One day is all I ask! Just one day!"
Giving in to her young charge, Willow answered "Go ask Buffy."
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!" Dawn squealed, giving Willow a big hug and rushing to her sister's classroom.
Willow just shook her head amused and walked out of the library. Upon reaching the room, she found Oz, talking with the surly professor Snape. Willow scowled as she walked towards them, not liking Snape one bit. He'd had a run in with some dark magic, just like her. They were two peas in a pod, only where Willow had come out for the better, being happier than she had been before, Snape was the walking embodiment of cranky.
"Morning Oz!" she chirped. "Snape." she said none-too-sweetly.
"Good morning, Miss Rosenberg," Snape answered icily. He, too, had his problems with the one before him. He knew very well about her dabbling with the black arts.
"Hey Will," Oz greeted her. "Professor Snape here was just giving me that anti-werewolf potion. Hey, I was thinking maybe we could go into Hogsmede today, if you're not too busy with Dawn?"
"No, actually, she's going to Hogsmede with Spike, that is, if Buffy lets her."
Snape glowered. "You're allowing her to run amuck in Hogsmede with that thing?"
Oz just sighed. Willow was a bit more verbal.
"That 'thing', as you so lovingly refer to him, would do anything for Dawn and that family, and since he's got his soul, he'd do just the same for the rest of us. Granted, he was evil. But notice the past tense, was, as in, not anymore! He's saved us more times than you've scowled, mister, so I suggest you back off, before I make you back off."
Snape was taken aback. According to all early accounts of this child, she was nothing but respectful towards everyone she should be. Why then, was she not respecting him? It seemed Snape had pushed her a bit over the edge. He had best be careful, if he didn't want a visit from scary-veiny Willow. Snape simply scowled, nodded, and made a hasty retreat.
Willow glared at his retreating form. "Bastard."
Oz chuckled. "You know, I think that's the first time I've ever heard you talk about, or to, a teacher like that."
"There's a first time for everything!" Willow announced. "Come on. Let's go see if Dawn's going to Hogsmede."
^*^
Dawn poked her head inside the classroom. It was the fifth years, Slytherin and Gryffindor. Putting on her best smile, Dawn walked calmly into the room. Spying Buffy at the far corner, Dawn wove her way through the fighting teens and over to her sister.
"Um, Buffy?"
Buffy looked up. "Hey Dawnie. Shouldn't you be with Willow right now?" she asked suspiciously.
"Well, she said if it was ok with you, I could go to Hogsmede with Spike cause it' his day off, so can I go pleasepleaseplease?!?!?!"
Buffy sighed. "On one condition."
"Name it!"
"Mr Malfoy over there is without a fighting partner. He seems to think he's better than everyone else. Put him in his place, and you and Spike can have fun."
"Thanks Buffy!" Dawn gave her sister a quick hug and went over to the blonde boy.
"Hey. I'm Dawn. I'm supposed to be your partner for a few minutes. Once I take you down, I can go to Hogsmede with my boyfriend, so, if we could get this show on the road?"
Malfoy scowled. "You think you can beat me?" he asked skeptically. "You're just a little girl."
"You know, that's what some people say about my sister. So how's about we start this fight. NOW."
"Fine. You'll be on the floor in seconds."
"After you."
Malfoy went at Dawn with a flurry of punches and kicks. Unfortunately for him, he hadn't gotten into kicks in the class yet, and his were sloppy. Dawn easily blocked everything he threw at her, thanks to Buffy's training regiment. Grabbing Malfoy's leg after he tried a high-kick to her head, Dawn pushed him off balance. Malfoy crashed to the floor.
"Buffy!" Dawn called out. "I'm done! Can I go now?!"
Smirking, and keeping her gaze on Malfoy, Buffy replied, "Sure Dawn, have fun." Dawn beamed and left the room, as Buffy moved over towards Malfoy. "Do you know why she beat you so easily, Mr. Malfoy?"
"She cheated." he said, getting slowly to his feet.
Kicking him back down in a small fit of anger, Buffy answered icily. "Don't you EVER accuse me or mine of cheating, Mr. Malfoy. We've got more pride than that. She beat you because you not only underestimated her, but you overestimate your own abilities. You are NOT all powerful. Lesson the first, your enemy is always stronger, faster, bigger, and better, and he will not hesitate to kill you if you make even the smallest mistake."
"Is that all," Draco asked, feigning boredom.
"No. Besides that, I trained her myself."
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Spike and Dawn walked slowly along the deserted streets, searching for any sign of life in the usually bustling town. A few feet behind them, Willow and Oz were peering into windows, finding the houses empty.
"Spike, I don't like this," Dawn said, moving closer to the blonde vampire.
"Me neither, Bit. But what I want to know is what kind of big bad could cause all this."
"Spike! Over here!" Willow suddenly called. As Spike and Dawn hurried over, a large black dog came out of the bushes near Willow and Oz.
"Is this it, Red? You wanted to show us a dog?"
"Well, at least we know that there has to be someone here! They wouldn't leave their dog.... would they?"
Oz narrowed his eyes at the mass of black fur before him.
"That's no dog guys."
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ok... I got this out... it might not be too great, cause I rushed it... (even though it took a LONG time to write... haha... figure that one out!)
Reviews are always welcome!